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Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible

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Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
Studio album by
Enter Shikari
Released17 April 2020
Recorded2019–2020
Studio
Various
Genre
Length43:43
LabelSO
ProducerRou Reynolds
Enter Shikari chronology
The Spark
(2017) 		Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
(2020)
Singles from Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
  1. "{ The Dreamer's Hotel }"
    Released: 10 February 2020
  2. "thē kĭñg"
    Released: 8 March 2020
  3. "T.I.N.A"
    Released: 22 March 2020
  4. "THE GREAT UNKNOWN"
    Released: 10 April 2020
  5. "satellites* *"
    Released: 16 April 2020

Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible is the sixth studio album by English band Enter Shikari, released on 17 April 2020 through SO Recordings.

Background and production

In December 2019, following extensive touring in support of their previous record, The Spark, lead singer Rou Reynolds expressed his desire in an interview with Kerrang to create the "most definitive Shikari record to date", with Reynolds further elaborating that "[this is] the one that a fan would pass to their mate like, 'You don’t know Shikari? This is where you start.'"[4]

Following the album's announcement, Reynolds spoke once again to Kerrang about the themes and sounds on the album, saying, "Possibility is the central theme of the album, lyrically, but it also is musically, too. We’ve pushed further and asked ourselves, 'Where can we go? Let's fucking go there!' One track is a symphonic orchestral piece, but then there are other tracks that wouldn't sound out of place on our first album, Take to the Skies. I think one thing about this album that's slightly different is that we set out to make something that encapsulates everything that Shikari have done. This album is more broad, and there's more confidence in the songwriting."

Recording for the album took place throughout 2019 and early 2020, with the band documenting the process via a WhatsApp number that fans could follow to receive studio updates directly.[5] Nothing Is True was produced by Reynolds; "it gave us more attention to detail. There are more hours that have been put into this album than any other – a lot more sweat, toil, and crippling indecision!"

When asked about the meaning of the title, Reynolds stated "The ‘Nothing Is True’ part is a statement of what it feels like to be alive in 2020, it's hard to grasp the truth. There's so much tribalism, bias and ulterior motives everywhere, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to know where to place your trust. And I love the ‘Everything Is Possible’ part, because the usual phrase is ‘Anything Is Possible’. And that's that empowering, motivational, ‘You can do anything; anything is possible!’ thing. But ‘Everything Is Possible’ makes it far more sinister. ‘Anything’ implies choice, but ‘Everything’ is more daunting, because it takes the focus away from your choice. That, then, is a much better reflection of where we’re at, because possibility, traditionally, is a positive thing. But now possibility has become terrifying. The word ‘possibility’ is shifting to become much more of a layered, deep and scary concept. The title also mirrored the music, and how we keep pushing ourselves."[6]

Although the songs share many lyrical themes in tune with a 2014 book with the identical title, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, the band has not confirmed this is intentional.

Release

On 7 February 2020, the band began posting images across their social media and website featuring a new aesthetic.[7] On 10 February, the band announced the album and premiered its lead single, { The Dreamer's Hotel }, on BBC Radio 1 with Annie Mac along with a string of intimate album release shows across Europe and the UK. These shows were later cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, prompting the band to announce their winter 2020 European and UK tour early,[8] which was later postponed to June 2021.[9]

On 8 March 2020, the second single "thē kĭñg" was released.[10] This was followed by the release of "T.I.N.A"[11] and "THE GREAT UNKNOWN"[12] on 22 March and 8 April, respectively. The band premiered the song "satellites* *" on BBC Radio 1 on 16 April, the eve of the album's release.[13]

Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible was released worldwide on 17 April 2020 through SO Recordings.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Clash4/10[16]
Evening Standard[17]
Gigwise[18]
Kerrang!4/5[19]
NME[20]
Q[21]
Sputnikmusic4.2/5[22]
VultureHound[23]

Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible has an aggregated score of 80/100 based on "generally favorable reviews" on Metacritic, from 7 reviews.

In a 4 out of 5 star review for NME, Ali Shutler wrote: "Nothing is True & Everything is Possible brings together every shape that Enter Shikari have ever pulled and slots them together to create their most definitive album yet. It's a crash course in their unruly genius and all their best tricks – a Greatest Hits waiting for you to learn the words."[20]

Kerrang! was similarly complimentary towards the album, with reviewer Tom Shepherd stating, "despite the band stretching their boundaries wider than ever before and employing a kitchen-sink approach to experimentation, this is the most Enter Shikari sounding record the band have made to date. That they're able to juggle all of this while making something that captures the uncertain mood and feelings of a generation only serves to show off their genius further."[19]

Clash's Josh Gray was markedly more critical in his 4 out of 10 review of the record, stating that "Enter Shikari really do lose something of themselves on Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, an album buried under the boundless ambition of its creators," whilst also conceding that the band "have the tools and drive to create something potentially mind-blowing, it's just that they fell well short of the mark on this occasion."[16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."THE GREAT UNKNOWN"3:25
2."Crossing the Rubicon"3:17
3."{ The Dreamer's Hotel }"2:53
4."Waltzing Off the Face of the Earth (I. Crescendo)"3:26
5."modern living...."2:52
6."apøcaholics anonymøus (Main Theme in B Minor)"1:36
7."the pressure's on."2:58
8."Reprise 3"0:46
9."T.I.N.A."3:05
10."Elegy for Extinction"3:49
11."Marionettes (I. The Discovery of Strings)"2:53
12."Marionettes (II. The Ascent)"3:19
13."satellites* *"3:46
14."thē kĭñg"2:48
15."Waltzing Off the Face of the Earth (II. Piangevole)"2:50
Total length:43:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from artwork.

Charts

Chart performance for Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 2

References

  1. ^ Monty, Alice (18 April 2020). "Enter Shikari: Nothing is True & Everything is Possible - album review". Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  2. ^ Davies, Alan (17 April 2020). "Enter Shikari release new album Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Review: Enter Shikari - Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Enter Shikari – Good Things Festival 2019 Interview". Wall of Sound. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Enter Shikari Offer Fans Studio Updates Via WhatsApp!". Wall of Sound AU.
  6. ^ "Why The New Enter Shikari Album Is Called Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Kerrang!. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  7. ^ "ARE ENTER SHIKARI TEASING A NEW ALBUM?". kerrang.com.
  8. ^ "Enter Shikari Announce New Album, Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Kerrang!. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  9. ^ "ENTER SHIKARI ANNOUNCE RESCHEDULED 2021 UK AND EUROPEAN TOUR". Kerrang. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Listen To Enter Shikari's New Song, The King". Kerrang!. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Enter Shikari share new track 'T.I.N.A.' from their upcoming new album". 23 March 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Listen To Enter Shikari's Huge New Song, THE GREAT UNKNOWN". Kerrang!. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Enter: Shikari". Instagram. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Critic Reviews for Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  15. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible - Enter Shikari". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  16. ^ a b Gray, Josh (14 April 2020). "Enter Shikari - Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Clash. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  17. ^ McGrath, Rachel (17 April 2020). "Enter Shikari - Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible review: An eclectic history revisited". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  18. ^ Smith, Anna. "Album Review: Enter Shikari - Nothing is True & Everything is Possible | Gigwise". Gigwise. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  19. ^ a b Shepard, Tom (16 April 2020). "REVIEWS ALBUM REVIEW: ENTER SHIKARI – NOTHING IS TRUE & EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE". Kerrang!. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  20. ^ a b Shutler, Ali (18 April 2020). "Enter Shikari – 'Nothing is True & Everything is Possible' review: An unruly crash course through the band's best tricks". NME. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Q. June 2020. p. 98.
  22. ^ "Review: Enter Shikari - Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible". Sputnikmusic. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  23. ^ Jenkins, Shay (16 April 2020) Enter Shikari – Nothing is True & Everything is Possible (Album Review) VultureHound Magazine
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
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